Monday, January 23, 2006

AmCan City Council Votes to Build New Station for Police, Fire Department

AmCan City Council Votes to Build New Station for Police, Fire DepartmentBy DAN JUDGE/Times-Herald staff writer

AMERICAN CANYON - The City Council has bought American Canyon's cramped police and fire departments a spacious new home.

The council on Thursday voted to award an $8.5 million construction contract to McCrary Construction Co. of Belmont to build a new public safety building to house both departments.

"This is something we've been saving for a long time," Councilman Leon Garcia said. "I'm glad to see it's moving forward."

The new police and fire facility will be built in the new Vintage Ranch residential subdivision to the east of Broadway (State Route 29).

Both the city and the American Canyon Fire Protection District will contribute roughly $4.25 million each from their respective budgets toward the nearly 21,000-square-foot facility.

Firefighters are currently housed in a badly aging station on James Road while the police - provided under contract by the Napa County Sheriff's Department - have been bumped from building to building over the past several years.

Fire Chief Keith Caldwell noted that the police department's original headquarters was a tiny office in the Westamerica Bank building on Crawford Way, which was later the city later bought to serve as American Canyon's administrative offices.

As it grew, the police department staff was relocated to a small office space in Canyon Plaza, then to the former city administration offices on Elliott Way.

All of them were too small for the rapidly growing department.

"This is not a frivolous act," Caldwell said of the project. "This is a much-needed facility."